Star Wars Filming Locations To Visit

Look closely when the much-anticipated epic opens on December 18 and see if you can spot these travel destinations as the backdrop of galaxies and planets where rebel warriors and storm troopers live, plot and fight battles.

Jonathan Short/Invision/APActors dressed as Stormtroopers and Darth Vader pose for photographers upon arrival at the European premiere of the film 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens ' in London, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (Photo by Jonathan Short/Invision/AP)

We're not exactly sure what these real earthly locations will become in the universe that is Star Wars: The Force Awakens. But we do know that each of these locales will play a role in the movie. Look closely when the much-anticipated epic opens on December 18 and see if you can spot these travel destinations as the backdrop of galaxies and planets where rebel warriors and storm troopers live, plot and fight battles.

Mývatn, Krafla Volcano, Iceland

We know that Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens was filmed in Iceland because True North Film Production cites Lucasfilm and director J.J. Abrams in their client list. But where exactly did the shooting take place? The volcano locale was listed in IMDB and rumours circulated that the next Star Wars installment was being filmed there last September. For The Force Awakens scenes, Iceland was apparently used for shots with stormtroopers and the Nordic country served as the setting for the planet Sullust for both the video game and the movie.

Skellig Michael, County Kerry, Ireland

Not exactly a galaxy far, far away, but Skellig Michael off the coast of County Kerry became the far, far away home more than 1,400 years ago for a group of men seeking religious solitude and isolation. They succeeded. It's one of the most lonely spots in western Europe and when the men arrived, they built a monastery at the edge of a cliff almost 200 metres above the waves. The structure of terraces and walls of stone survives intact to this day. Visitors can get the Skellig Experience by going to a purpose-built visitor centre that opened in 1992. Designed to be rugged in feeling and finishes, the centre reflects the experience that will be undertaken by visitors. The use of concrete vaults with grass topping is designed to echo the wild quality of the southwest of Ireland and to blend in with the surrounding hills.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Leaked footage last August showed scenes from The Force Awakens shot in Abu Dhabi. We now know that the location is the landscape for Jakku, which is described as a "frontier desert world" that is populated by "thieves, outlaws and scavengers." It is also supposedly the site of a major battle between the New Republic and Imperialists holdouts. One still image that has been released depicts a fallen X-wing being used as a cover in the desert firefight between rebels and Imperial troops.

Story by Guillermo Serrano, Vacay.ca writer. Read more on Vacay.ca, here.